J Francho

Don't know about stores, but these are old news over on KBF. Guys have been using them on beds and slop for real trophies.

Worst lure: Rapala anything. Been ripped by them my entire life, yet I still use them. Best lure: Lucky Craft Sammy 115. Best 12.99 I ever spent. I retire Sammys that have too many catches now.

Then stop hitting the quote button. That makes it personal.

If I can pay the entry fee, and beat you, does it really matter what I paid for my baits?

Don't buy then. And don't complain that you got beat by money. I hear this same story by the donators after the weigh in every weekend.

Maybe not you, but it's lots of guys on this site. And it might not be video games. Could be a $50 night at a bar. Or $50 on iTunes. I just think we need to put things into perspective once in a while, when it comes to toys.

I think it's funny when guys drop $50 or more on a video game, but balk at a $15 lure that could catch you 100's of fish.

Try angling-technologies to see if they have your lake mapped. If not, send them an email, and if the data is out there, they'll add it.

It's something I've wondered about, but not enough to actyually carry out measurements. Lighter would be better for fast startup, but heavier might be better for longer casts.

Panther Martin are good spinners. Rapala Floaters, in trout pattern work well, too.

Tell them John Franchot sent you.

To be honest, rainbow trout avoid high. muddy water. The silt makes it difficult to respirate. When the tribs become high and muddy, I head upstream for less flow and cleaner water. The alternative is to wait for barely cleared, falling water. The action can be dynomite. Water like in the background of this pic:

For bass in cover, I would not go less than 7 wt. For panfish, 4 wt. is fine. A fly rod is a great tool for vast stretches of pads. Being able stick a surface mouse or frog fly in pockets of pads without reeling in is a great tool. I recommend a slower, more forgiving action. This is a company to look at. The owner and I grew up together, adn he is committed to putting useful gear in the hands of anglers without ripping their wallet: http://www.wildwaterflyfishing.com/ The fish in my avatar was caught on a day we fished together.

Next Green Bay fan that cries about something from 50 years ago gets banned. Enjoy your current success.

Spool diameter. These are some of the widest spools out there.

OK, just noticed this. It's noty too often I see something that catches my eye in reel cleaning, but the white pudding dishes are a great idea. Looks like you can really see the parts better. Stealing this! I wonder if the guy that enameled my vintage bathtub can enamel my muffin pans.....Thanks.

If you are creative, you can convert common hand tools to hake your own tool. I was lucky, someone did the work for me. Think pliers.

LOL, without getting political, some of us are currently opposing certain powers that would like to see bass reduced from it's game fish status so that it can be farmed commercially for food. What a mess.

I don't disagree with anything you said, and in fact I could probably expand on your thoughts - much of it applies to many of the "natural impounments" or bays off the big lake that I frequent, especially in regards to current. I think that's a big reason Finger Lakes guys struggle on these bays - they aren't like lakes. That said, sometimes I will try to generalize things, based on the OP's implied skill level. Right or wrong, that advice will open doors to crticism by more experienced anglers.

So you really have more of a problem with sport writers, not Dallas. They don't write that stuff, it's the media and fans that eat that crap up. Pro tip for haters: Try something different. Stop watching football like your fantasy team is the air you breathe, and ignore the media. Just start watching the games.

Maybe it's a northern thing? Walleye "unzip" real nice. The salmon and trout don't usually have that dark section. One tip, I use pliers to rip the lateral row of bones out. For snaller fish, an overnight soak in buttermilk gets rid of the bones.

Yep , I have found that the bearing blaster doesn't always get them 100%, though it reduces soak time to just an hour or so.

Acetone.

Obligatory, "I hate going to school" whining post of the week? Seems like you haven't had one positive thing to say about your education.

Here you go, first 40 seconds shows it: